St. Thomas makes early lead stand up in 36-26 victory over Black Hills State

Saturday's game marked a special moment in Glenn Caruso's personal history. The St. Thomas coach earned his 150th career victory, hitting that milestone with the Tommies' 36-26 win over Black Hills State.

That might be the only thing Caruso cares to remember about the season opener. The Tommies rolled to a 22-0 lead at O'Shaughnessy Stadium, then were outscored the rest of the way by the Division II Yellow Jackets. While St. Thomas did enough to extend its home win streak to 28 games, it was the kind of performance that showed how much work lies ahead if the Tommies hope to defend their Pioneer League championship.

Running back Shawn Shipman rushed for a game-high 140 yards on 21 carries, and quarterback Amari Powell ran for two touchdowns and threw for 105 yards. But the Tommies defense was unable to shut down the Yellow Jackets' passing game. Black Hills State quarterback Tanner Clarkson completed 17 of 25 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown, as his team amassed 366 total yards to the Tommies' 334.

Caruso was grateful for a lot of things, including the energy from a crowd announced at 3,793 and a 15-0 record in home openers under his watch. But a slew of mistakes made the victory "worse than ugly," he said, even as it made history.

"We were able to get the job done," said Caruso, whose team won for the 18th time in 22 games at the Division I level. "But we have a lot, a lot that we have to do in terms of our growth.

"We're not very good now. But if we're willing to work hard, hopefully, we'll be a little bit better tomorrow."

The Tommies played without preseason All-America wide receiver Andrew McElroy. Caruso said he did not want to discuss injuries and would only say that McElroy wasn't available for the game. Powell left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury, but Caruso said he was not seriously hurt.

St. Thomas started quickly. Only 47 seconds into the game, Johnson Fallah intercepted a Clarkson pass and ran it back for a touchdown. After the Tommies recovered a fumble on Black Hills State's next possession, Powell ran into the end zone for an 11-yard score and a 14-0 lead.

Powell's 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion by Landon Reed made it 22-0 with 11:15 remaining in the first half. Caruso said his team might have gotten "a little too much, a little too easy, a little too fast," as Black Hills State rallied in the program's first game against a Division I opponent.

It scored twice in the final six minutes of the half, beginning when Clarkson hit Nolan Susel with a 52-yard touchdown pass. A pair of Coleman Chapman field goals brought the Yellow Jackets within 22-13 late in the third quarter.

Shipman's touchdown made it 29-13, and St. Thomas hung on from there.

As ugly as the game was, Caruso maintained his perspective. Last season, he recalled, the Tommies opened the schedule at Southern Utah and lost 44-13, the first season-opening loss in his St. Thomas tenure. They won their next 10 games to finish 10-1 and win the Pioneer League title.

"If you watched us grow throughout the season, I think you would have said, 'Wow, they learned a lot from their failures and their mistakes,' " he said. "They became a really good team eventually. We're nothing more than that opportunity right now."